Nature Center offers Sibley Academy for adults this fall

Burr WilliamsMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 12:15 pm, Thursday, September 1, 2011

If you were to take all five adult classes this fall at the Sibley Academy there would be one moment where everything you learned could be utilized -- while you are hanging on a rope on the Rockpile in the Davis Mountains. You could dangle in mid-air, taking photos and drawing plants used for natural dyes and in xeriscapes. People in their 60s have taken the rappelling course, so do not let age be an excuse! Of course, you do not have to take all of the courses.

Many folks have digital cameras but have not learned what all the bells and whistles are for -- sign up for Richard Galle's "How to use your camera." We love photographers at the Sibley Nature Center -- our website has thousands of photographs shared by more than 100 photographers. Every time you go outside, you should have a camera. You might photograph a hummingbird cleaning his tongue with his foot, or a robberfly capturing a tiger beetle or a badger gnawing on an old deer carcass. Richard has taught the course before, and it fills up quickly. It is a two-night course, and you might want to join the Sibley Camera Club (which meets monthly) to continue learning more tricks of the trade. The class costs $25 for members, and $35 for non-members and runs 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 12-14.

Richard also teaches the rappelling course, and he is in 60s. He learned to rappel as a firefighting ranger in Big Bend in his 20s and taught a climb school at Midland College for 17 years. Some of his students (he has taught more than 2,000 people) have gone on to climb really big mountains. He hasn't ever had a student injured. Two nights of course work learning the ropes are followed by a trip to the Rockpile. If you join the Permian Basin Outing Club, you will get to do it again next year, along with canoeing, caving,and backpacking. It costs $30 for members, and $50 for non-members, and runs 7 to 9 p.m Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 at Sibley and all day Oct.15 in the Davis Mountains.

Ethel Matthews is a long-time lab instructor at Midland College who will be teaching about Natural Dyes at Sibley. Learn how to dye cloth with onion skin, agarita root, broomweed leaves and other plants. Or you can dye yarn if you like to crochet or weave. The class, 7-8 p.m. Oct. 20, is free for members and $10 for non-members.

Michael Nickell is offering his poplar Introduction to nature drawing class again. If you have been to Sibley and seen the Icons of the Llano Estacado colonnade with its 12 paintings, you know he is a master at accurately portraying flora and fauna with every media. His work has been in National Geographic, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and in books. The class has five sessions: Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 24 and Nov. 7. Sibley members can attend for $50 dollars; cost for non-members is $80. Each class runs 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

I will be teaching a short course on xeriscaping. With this year's incredible drought damaging so many trees and shrubs in town, now is the time to begin thinking about what to replace them with -- plants that survive tough, dry conditions and still grow, bloom and bring butterflies and birds. I was the first person to promote Xeriscaping in Midland when I ran the Gone Native Nursery from 1981-1992 and several authors have used me as a reference in books. If you find a copy of "Landscaping Region by Region" by Sally Wasowski, (with many of my landscapes and plants featured) it is still one of the best references available. My class will be 6-8 p.m. Sept. 26 -27. It will cost $50 for members and $80 for non-members.